15 Months!

I was so good about doing a monthly blog post for each month of Anna's first year. Now that she is one, I decided to do one every three months instead. Here I am on the last day of her 15th month, squeezing in a post...and she is not even a second child!

I brought back the picture in the chair with the monkey pic. This was the first picture I took. Every other time I prop her up, reposition her, do crazy things to make her laugh and take at least 20 pictures to get a decent picture.

A lot of people say they like the 12 - 18 month phase because little ones are becoming more interactive and playful but are not yet very obstinate and opinionated. I totally agree...that describes Anna right now.

She will take my hand and lead me somewhere to play or get something for her.

She used to suck her thumb and rub her ear at the same time. She still sucks her thumb, but now rubs her belly button instead of her ear. Not sure how this developed but it is pretty cute. She sometimes even gets annoyed if she has a onesie on and can't get to her belly button. Like her pediatrician said, "she is just doing it for comfort and that is a lot better than head-banging like I see other children do!".

She is sweet and affectionate and will give us hugs and kisses when we ask her. She will also give her cousins and friends hugs and kisses. I have noticed that for some reason, when Anna and her friends give each other hugs, thet don't really use their arms and just kind of lean in to each other. One of my friends called it a penguin hug...pretty cute.

She definitely has more of an opinion these days and started saying N-O to a few things. I'm sure it will get old, but the way she says it is so cute. She scrunches up her face, puts her lips out and goes nooooooo. She will say no everytime I ask her if she is ready for a nap or night-night, but then goes down immediately when I put her in her crib. She has also started to become picky about books and will swat them out of my hand until I pick up one she likes. Then of course, we have to read that book several times.

Anna Comforting her Baby from kelli bruce on Vimeo.

(notice how she gets annoyed with me towards the end)

The little nurturing mommy in her is starting to come out. She loves to feed other kids her age and is constantly trying to make Sam drink from his sippy cup. The sweet little guy is so patient with her. Her baby doll is definitely a favorite toy and the one she is most protective over (i.e. will not share and screams if another child tries to take it from her).

She is really starting to communicate with us which makes life easier. We may be the only ones who can understand her but these are some of the things she is saying:
hep me for help me
up peas for up please,
mik for milk
wawa or watwat for water
marrrr for more
hicheu for highchair
ro-ro for rosie (her lovie)
dow for down
ah ga for all done/gone
nak for snack
giii for again (when she wants to watch, read, or something again)

She also got her first ear infection this month. I took her in for her 15 month check up and as the pediatrician was checking her ears, she noticed an infection in both ears. I felt horrible because I had no idea. Anna was eating and sleeping normally and not whining any more than usual. She did have a low grade fever and was slightly irritable but I attributed that to the tooth that broke through. Sweet girl.

Her 15 Month stats:
Weight: 22 lbs ~40%
Height: 30.4 in ~45%
Head: 46 cm ~50%